About

The Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communications prepares students for careers that help develop other people, organizations, and communities to solve real-world problems. Our students graduate prepared to lead, teach, and communicate to the world about issues relating to food, human development, and the environment.

Our Faculty

Anna Ball

Associate Dean for Academic Programs

Anna Ball joined the Office of Academic Programs as the Associate Dean in August, 2019. Ball is a teacher educator, recognized for her research in innovative teaching practice. She is a Fellow in the American Association for Agricultural Education (AAAE), has received the AAAE Outstanding Researcher Award, and the Outstanding Agricultural Educator Award for her scholarship in her discipline. As an award-winning teacher, she's been recognized numerous times for her innovative teaching methodologies including the University of Missouri College of Agriculture Food and Natural Resources Outstanding Senior Teaching Award, the Gold Chalk Award for graduate education, and the USDA Excellence in College and University Teaching Award for the North Central Region.

Amy Leman 

Assistant Professor

Dr. Leman advances the understanding of effective strategies for teaching and learning in both K-12 classrooms and out-of-school time programs in community settings. Her work is informed by her background as a 4-H youth development educator and belief in youth empowerment.

Amy Roady 

Instructor and Director of the Evans Center

Amy Roady brings real-world experience working in agriculture, communications and Extension to the classroom. She helps students and working professional build their communication skills, understand communications strategy and apply what they learn to different scenarios. She fosters connections among students, alumni and working professionals through her leadership of the James F. Evans Global Center for Food and Agricultural Communications.

Chris Wirz

Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist 

Dr. Wirz examines how scientific knowledge and technology can be developed, communicated, and applied in ways that serve people. His work combines rigorous social science, user engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration to understand what makes information and innovation trustworthy, useful, and responsive to the contexts in which people make decisions.

David Rosch

Associate Professor

Dr. Rosch explores ways to help high school and college students develop leadership skills to help set them apart from their peers and distinguish themselves as future leaders in the job market. He helps students build their confidence in serving as a leader of their peers and motivates them to become more engaged in their communities.

Eric Morgan 

Associate Professor

Dr. Morgan’s research focuses on cultural discourses of environment. Specifically, he is interested in how people across cultures construct meaning about land, land-use, water, agriculture, and environment through communication. Dr. Morgan also researches how science is communicated with a focus on the science/public interface.

Gary Ochs 

Instructor

Mr. Ochs helps students achieve post-college success in agricultural education careers. He works with students to obtain teacher licenses and plan coursework, and coordinates outreach to new or potential students. Student rapport is the backbone of what he does as he works with students inside and outside the classroom.

Haden Botkin

Assistant Professor

Dr. Botkin’s research and teaching explores what is required to lead change in 21st-century organizations, communities, and systems. Specifically, he is interested in leadership and leadership development, with a focus on leadership and management processes in contexts such as rural communities and public organizations. He is also involved in program evaluation and evaluation capacity building work.

Jennifer Smist 

Teaching Assistant Professor

Dr. Smist helps students develop their capacity to address complex challenges and achieve their leadership potential. As the coordinator of the popular Minor in Leadership Studies, her teaching focuses on the foundations of effective leadership: self-awareness, interpersonal communication, and strategies for leading organizations and communities.

Pam Axtman-Barker

Teaching Assistant Professor

Dr Axtman-Barker helps students develop the skills and confidence necessary to participate in their public and professional lives. She wants students to be knowledgeable creators and consumers of (agricultural and environmental) communication by taking her classes. Her teaching philosophy places student interests at the forefront, prioritizing diverse examples and providing multiple avenues for participation.

Tiffany Marzolino

Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist 

Dr. Marzolino studies agricultural social systems, with a special emphasis on school-based agricultural education. Their teaching prepares future agricultural educators to lead in agricultural learning environments, while their research explores teacher retention, social systems in agriculture, and critical analyses of the agricultural social sphere.